LONDON,
(CAIS) -- Engineering designs used in historical monuments
has been the focus of attention of officials charged with
preserving the nation’s cultural heritage, reported CHN.
Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization
(ICHTO) has launched a program to compile the engineering
specifications of historical monuments and construction
materials used in them to facilitate the reinforcement of
such structures.
The
organization’s Department for Coordination of Major
Projects has sponsored the program which aims to apply
modern know-how and engineering techniques to reinforce
historical monuments and protect them against natural
disasters.
The organization initiated the program following the
tragic earthquake on December 26, 2003 which ruined Bam
Citadel, in Kerman province, the centerpiece of Iranian
architecture which dated back to the Sassanid era.
In the earthquake, residential houses in the city were
also razed to the ground killing about 30,000 people.
“The process of identifying the construction materials
used in every historical monument may take time, but, it
is a useful step forward to enable the ICHTO to reinforce
them against natural calamities.“
The department’s Director General Mohammad Hassan
Khadem-zadeh said that two things have to be taken into
account in reinforcing old buildings: First, examining
construction materials and second, engineering
specifications of those buildings.
Asked about reconstruction of Bam Citadel, he said, “At
this stage, expert studies on the resistance of adobe
bricks used in the construction of the structure have been
completed and University of Yazd has conducted studies on
the engineering features of the monument.
